Volume 7 Chapter 40 Terin's Tale
Terin was jogging down the path, talking as she went.
"Why is life like this...? I just wanted to tell a good story. But my family fell gravely ill, leaving me helpless, and then I was discovered by His Majesty."
Terin laughed self-deprecatingly.
"I'm grateful to His Majesty. But his occasional madness fills me with nothing but fear. I never know when I'll be killed. That's why I was so happy to leave the Imperial Capital this time."
But then Terin's voice filled with anger.
"I didn't come here to do something so horrible! To shake a little child like Ridge-chan for information...!"
As Terin spoke, Ridge assessed him, thinking, 'She's too kind to be drawn into political strife.'
As a person, she was admirable. If he were to make a friend, that kindness would be something to strive for. But in the realm of political intrigue, it became a weakness. Indeed, Ridge had taken advantage of Terin's kindness.
Good people should not be dragged into the deception of villains. Ridge learned from this incident as well.
At the same time, she realized that it was because of good people like this that a decent society could function.
Villains should not be the foundation of society. It would be better if villains like Ridge were used up in political battles.
"...Terin-san is a good person, isn't she...?"
"Ridge-chan...? Um, you don't have to force yourself to talk. It's okay to sleep."
"...Yes, I..."
Good and evil, right and wrong are different. There are societies where being good is right, and there are situations where you cannot survive unless you are evil.
Ridge was on the side of evil. She lived as a girl befitting a noble. Noble's very essence is evil, Ridge believed. So they are necessary in times of crisis, and they are better off not being around otherwise.
Evil people prey on good people. It is useful to deceive the enemy's good people, but they are not worth destroying your own good people.
That's why sometimes, when you meet such a truly good person, you feel so dazzled that you can't look at them.
Her friend seems to be someone who could survive, she never thought that. Ridge clings to her reliable back with a sense of wonder.
"Huff... huff..."
"Ridge-chan, your breathing... Let's take a break in this ruins. I won't force you..."
For some reason, Terin entered the ruins where the door was broken and laid Ridge down in a transparent coat. "This is water. Can you drink it?" she asked as she brought it to Ridge's lips.
Ridge pressed her lips to the water bag and drank little by little, realizing that she was weaker than he thought.
Her body had no strength. It was difficult to stand up. She could barely even think.
Maybe she had already broken down before she even had to act. Maybe she had lied at the last minute and escaped.
Terin gently stroked Ridge's head as she thought about such useless things. "It's okay..." she reassured Ridge like an older sister.
"Ridge-chan, I will definitely help you escape. 'Oath' is very sharp, so he might find us, but still, I will only let Ridge-chan go."
It was dark outside. It was probably late afternoon, but the clouds covered the sky, making it gloomy.
Ridge let go of the water bag and said, "Thank you." Terin smiled softly and put away the water bag.
Ridge closed her eyes from exhaustion. Terin asked, "Are you asleep?" and stroked Ridge. With her eyes closed, Ridge shook her head. Terin chuckled and said, "Is that so?"
"Well then, as a return favor, shall I tell you a bedtime story? I'm called the 'Great Rune Storyteller.' I have a deep knowledge of the tales of the gods."
"...What is a Great Rune? I know what a rune is, but..."
"Do you know about runes? As expected of a noble lady... Runes are not often heard of as magic around here."
"Shall we talk about Grand Runes then?" Terin begins to speak in a calm tone.
"Grand Runes refer to rune magic that uses 4 or more characters, instead of the usual 3. I'm particularly knowledgeable about Grand Runes that are based on special stories, like myths."
For example, Terin fumbles with something.
"Here, for instance. The Universal Key I used earlier. This is an item that appears in mythology, but it's not an artifact; I made it myself. So,"
Terin says with a proud tone,
"My Grand Runes can recreate mythological items. What do you think? Isn't it amazing?"
Ridge slightly curls her lips, amused by the tone of Terin's voice. As she opens her mouth to comment, Terin stops her, saying, "Oh, don't worry. Take your time to rest."
Then, silence spreads through the ruins. Ridge's breathing calms down, and they are able to rest properly.
"...Actually, I had always wanted to live a life of reading myths and sharing them with others. Instead of this utilitarian, imitation-based approach."
Terin murmurs, more to herself than to Ridge. Ridge breathes quietly, realizing that everyone has her own circumstances.
But then, Terin takes a breath.
Swiftly reaching for the transparent coat, Terin covers Ridge's face. With that, Ridge's body becomes completely transparent.
A voice echoes.
"Well, well, Terin-san. What are you doing here?"
"...Hello, 'Oath'-san. I was just looking around the site where the enemy camp's door was destroyed."
'Oath'. Ridge's body stiffens.
"That's diligent of you. But there's something more important right now."
"W-what is it...?"
"Ridge-chan, was it? The one I asked Alkei to interrogate. It seems she has escaped."
"That's..."
Terin feigns surprise, as if the kindness she has shown so far was a lie. 'Oath', unaware of her deception, continues speaking.
"Could she have been a spy who sacrificed herself? Maybe she was hiding an escape artifact that we don't know about and got caught on purpose."
Ridge froze, completely caught off guard by Oath's words. But she had no artifact.
"I also think she got information about our door-destruction operation from tracking her kidnapping. Maybe she ran away because she knew we were onto her, Alkei said so."
"Anyway,." Oath said,
"we need to find her. Alkei said she accidentally leaked some information to her. It's bad if the enemy knows our secret plan."
"Y-yes...! I-I'll look for her too."
Terin said, standing up. Together, they left the room.
Ridge endured the silence. She was still here, protected and overlooked, thanks to Terin. Terin had kept her promise and let her go. Whether she could get home or not was up to Ridge.
Ridge consciously slowed her breathing and fell asleep. She rested his body to the limit and focused on recovery.
After a few hours, Ridge woke up.
"...My body still works."
She got up and put on her transparent coat. Her body and clothes were still sticky, but she could move. She could keep going.
The rest was over. From here on, it was Ridge's fight.
"I'll bring back the information and prepare for Oath's next move."
Ridge started walking.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)